


when you try to avoid sitting with your brother on a road trip and then sit with him anyway

by VoidLeviathan



Series: Coffee-Stained Books - Extra Bits [6]
Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware, Half-Life
Genre: Barney talks about how his life is, Benrey talks too...for once, Driving, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Its very comfoting, M/M, Other, Road Trips, Sibling Bonding, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidLeviathan/pseuds/VoidLeviathan
Summary: "What about you little bro, whats uh...whats goin' on in your neck of the woods?""Whats this? Benrey Calhoun actually wants to know about my life?" Barney dramatically gasped, "I never thought I'd live to see the day.""Alright then. Keep your secrets."
Relationships: Barney Calhoun & Benrey, Barney Calhoun/Gordon Freeman (Mentioned)
Series: Coffee-Stained Books - Extra Bits [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768609
Comments: 1
Kudos: 60





	when you try to avoid sitting with your brother on a road trip and then sit with him anyway

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't beat read, but I did fix it later when I read through it again...for the most part. I'll fix it more if I catch anything.

The silence was nice, but awkward. Ever since the road trip started Barney did his best to avoid sitting upfront with his brother. Their relationship had been slowly mending itself the closer they got these last few months, but things still felt off. Sitting together in silence was something they both dreaded the idea of.

Not out of a dislike of each other, but out of fear that something might snap them back into their usual habits. The fear that maybe they'll fight, or say something wrong or do _something_ that could possibly set the other off and ruin this trip entirely.

Yet here they were

Again

In silence 

Barney didn't know if he could take much more of it and Benrey looked just about ready to snap the steering wheel in two with how tense he was. Someone needed to say something before both of them lost their minds but unfortunately the people they usually looked to were all completely knocked out in back. Something that usually happens around one am, Barney noted.

"Alright I'm bored. What's life like with Freeman now that you two are together again? Last you told me he was the guy who broke up with you over text."

Benrey seemed to only have just noticed Barney was actually talking to him, tensing up more than he already was until he processed what the question was.

"Weird? Sorta rough but...I don't know, tryin' to fix it. Said he got all scared and that's why he broke up with me." 

"If you don't wanna talk about it-"

"No, no it's fine." Benrey laughs a little, "He's trying I think. Never been good at reading people, you know that, but he's really anxious. I and Tommy can practically feel it. I think...maybe we'll work it out...eventually. It's going to be weird but Tommy already absolutely loves the guy and frankly? I do too. Even if he's done nothing but pester me about my driving this whole time, it's nice to see he hasn't lost his heart since everything that happened."

"Well its a step right? Mending things slowly is better than no progress at all." 

"Yeah like...uh...us I guess. Minus the dating part. Thats weird."

"And as usual you ruin the conversation." Barney rolls his eyes, snorting when he sees the big grin on Benrey's face. Tension slowly melting away.

"What about you little bro, whats uh...whats goin' on in your neck of the woods?"

"Whats this? Benrey Calhoun actually wants to know about my life?" Barney dramatically gasped, "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Alright then. Keep your secrets." 

"Fine, fine. I've actually been doing pretty great recently. Learned asl, started dating Gordon, have a stable job and amazing friends."

"And your anxiety?"

"Actually I've been taking care of that. I uh...I got myself into group therapy? Its been helping with the fears a lot and the therapist even suggested some possible medications to help with the anxiety. Says once I graduate college things may become a bit easier too." 

"Nice, nice. What about Gordon? He doin' good?"

"Couldn't you have asked him that? He _is_ with us."

Benrey couldn't blame Barney for being confused but it did make him laugh. 

"I meant is he doin' good with you, nut head."

"O-oh…" Barney sank slightly into his car seat, "Yeah actually. We've been really good. I mean gosh I love the guy to bits Ben. Hes just the sweetest. He cares about his job, his family, hell he didn't even question when I first brought Lamarr in. I don't know how I got so lucky, you know? Hes...hes amazing."

"Pretty gay of you to say."

"Oh shush." Barney playfully shoved his brother's shoulder. The two of them chuckling together now completely comfortable with being with each other. Both brothers may have been tense earlier, but things felt nicer now. Calm and comfortable. Something Barney wasn't even sure could happen.

"Hey. I'm proud of you, you're really making a name for yourself out there. Who would have thought my little bro was such a smart egg."

"You're just jealous you can't get as smart as me."

"Only because you know if I'm smarter than you I'll become too powerful to handle."

"Whatever you say Ben, whatever you say."

The rest of the night went on just the same. Calm and comforting, full of laughs and small conversations. By the time it was time to switch devers again, both crashed heavily in the back seat while Freeman took the wheel.

He and Gordon could only hope something good had happened that night.


End file.
